Pivotal locking clasp

ABSTRACT

This invention is directed to pivotal locking clasps which may be employed to secure braces to posts as in scaffolds or to latch gates in closed position. The clasp consists of a baseplate having an aperture from which extends a slot. A hasp in the form of a loop is secured in a pivotal manner to the baseplate by a key located inside the aperture and secured internally to the legs of the hasp. When the hasp is pivoted to register the key with the slot and lodge it therein, the clasp is in locking position and removal of the key from the slot permits the hasp to be pivoted to unlocked position.

United States Patent Brown 1 Mar. 7, 1 972 [54] PIVOTAL LOCKING CLASP2,920,914 1/1960 Jenkins ..292/67 [72] inventor: William M. Brown, 5175NOl'lh 105th St, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Milwaukee, Wis. 5322526,635 12 1908 G tB 't ..292 210 221 Filed: Apr. 30, 1970 l m n am I[21] Appl. No.: 33,356 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Moore vAttorneyAndrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall [52] US. Cl ..292/67, 292/238,292/246,

287/535 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. ..E05c 19/08, E05c 5/00 Thisinvention is directed to pivotal locking clasps which may Field ofSearch be employed to secure braces to posts as in scaffolds or to292/238; latch gates in closed position. The clasp consists of abaseplate having an aperture from which extends a slot. A hasp in the[56] References form of a loop is secured in a pivotal manner to thebaseplate by a key located inside the aperture and secured internally toUNITED STATES PATENTS the legs of the hasp. When the hasp is pivoted toregister the 2,708,606 5/1955 Schumacher ..287/S3.5 key with the lot andlodge it therein, the clasp is in locking 3,497,251 2/1970 Bosland 8Lposition and removal of the key from the slot permits the hasp 735,8578/1903 C3116! i "292/236 to be pivgted [o unlocked position, 2,674,4764/1954 Del Grosso ..287/53.5 X 2,891,820 6/ 1959 Schoeneberg ..287/53.53 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHAR T [972 FIG l FIGA INVENTOR.WILLIAM M. BROWN PIVOTAL LOCKING CLASP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONRepresentative of the prior art is US. Pat. to G. Del Grosso, No.2,674,476, where an arm is pivotally secured to a plate bracket which isconnected edgewise to a post. The arm is pivoted to overlie a pin andsecure a brace on the pin to the post. An additional latch member isrequired to be pivoted around the arm to accomplish the locking of thepivoted arm SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the pivotal lockingclasp of the invention consists of two parts, namely, a base platehaving a generally central opening of a size to freely receive the otherpart of the clasp consisting of a closed looped hasp with the ends ofthe hasp being joined by a rectangular shaped, internal key which islocated in the opening of the base plate and freely pivotal therein.

A slot extends from the opening in the baseplate and to lock the clasp,the hasp is pivoted so that the key slides into the slot to prevent anyfurther pivotal movement of the hasp.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

The drawing furnished herewith illustrate the best mode presentlycontemplated for carrying out the present invention and discloses theabove advantages and features as well as others which will be readilyunderstood from the following description of the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the clasp of the invention illustratingthe securing of a brace to a post as in a scaffold unit with the claspshown in unlocked position in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1 with parts broken away andsectioned;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the clasp of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of theinvention illustrating the locking clasp in locked position inconnection with a gate and the unlocked position being shown in dottedlines.

Referring to the drawings, the pivotal locking clasp of the invention isshown in connection with a scaffold post 1 to secure a brace 2 to post 1over the pin 3 which is welded to post 1.

The clasp is of two parts. The first part consists of a base plate 4which is ordinarily edge welded to post 1 at a position adjacent to pin3 and baseplate 4 projects laterally from post 1 in a plane generallyparallel to that of pin 3.

Baseplate 4 has a relatively large aperture or hole 5 extending throughthe plate at right angles to the edges of plate 4. A slot 6 extendsdownwardly from the aperture 5 for a slight distance. The slot 6 mayextend from the aperture 5 with the sides of the slot parallel to eachother and in a plane parallel to the welded edge of the baseplate 4, butit is preferred, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, that the sides of slot 6gradually curve toward the welded side of the baseplate 4. The plate 4is encircled by a hasp 7 which is formed in the shape of a loop with theends or legs 8 extending generally parallel to each other andregistering with aperture 5 in baseplate 4 so that legs 8 extend onopposite sides of the wall of the baseplate. The legs 8 are securedtogether by a key 9 of a generally rectangular shape which is locatedwithin aperture 5. The key is preferably welded to the inside surfacesof the legs 8 and the rectangular shape of key 9 conforms it to theshape of slot 6.

The key 9 is of a size so that it fits loosely inside aperture 5 andhasp 7 is thus easily pivoted within the relatively large size.

aperture 5 in baseplate 4. When the key 9 registers with slot 6,

it readily slides into the slot to hold the clasp in locking position.As may be observed in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hasp 7 has been pivoted tolocked position over the pin 3, wherein the key 9 has engaged slot 6 tothereby securely connect brace 2 to post 1 to brace the scaffold ofwhich the post and brace are a part.

Due to the curvature of slot 6 away from the outer vertical edge of baseplate 4 over which hasp 7 is pivoted as the hasp 7 moves further intoslot 6, the tighter the hasp 7 holds brace 2 to post 1.

The hasp 7 is constructed as may be observed in FIGS. 1-3 so that theloop of the hasp extends beyond the pin 3 a slight distance. With thisconstruction key 9 can quickly be forced from slot 6 and the hasp 7readily clears pin 3 when pivoted to the position shown in phantom inFIG. I, to quickly release brace 2 when it is desired to disassemble thescaffold.

Although FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings illustrate the hasp 7 as pivoted to adownward gravity position to lock a brace to a post, the hasp 7 may berotated as shown in phantom in FIG. 3 to lodge key 9 in slot 6 andthereby secure a brace 2 on pin 3 which is located above baseplate 4.The employment of the aperture 5 provides this versatility to thelocking clasp as the key 9 is readily rotated in the aperture.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4, whereinthe pivotal locking clasp is employed to latch a gate to a gate post.Construction of the clasp is the same as shown in FIG. 1, consisting ofthe baseplate 4 and the hasp 7 with the hasp 7 looped, as previouslydescribed, and pivoted in the aperture 5 in the baseplate 4. The ends ofthe looped hasp are joined as in FIG. 2 by the internal key 9, which islocated inside the aperture and freely pivoted therein to ride into theslot 6 to latch the hasp 7in plate 10.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the baseplate 4 is welded edgewise to agenerally large plate 10 which is bolted or otherwise secured to gatepost 11.

The gate 12 has a bar 13 secured thereto which, when the gate is closed,projects across the gate post 11 below baseplate 4. When pivoted tolocked position, as shown in FIG. 4, the hasp 7 overlies the bar 13 tolatch the gate in closed position. The open position of the gate 12 isobtained by pivoting hasp 7 within aperture 5, as best seen in FIG. I,to the phantom position shown in FIG. 4, wherein the key 9 drops intoslot 6 and the hasp is thereby held in an upward position.

The invention provides a simple two-piece locking clasp which can bepivoted quickly to a latched and unlatched position.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

I claim:

I. A pivotal gravity-type locking clasp, comprising a baseplate havingan aperture extending through the body of the plate, a slot extendingdownwardly from the aperture in the base plate, a hasp formed of legsdisposed in a looped shape providing an uninterrupted opening throughthe hasp with the legs of the hasp extending generally parallel to eachother and disposed on opposite sides of the body of the baseplate, and arectangular shaped key disposed in said aperture and securing the legsof the hasp together, the loop formed of the legs of the hasp being of asize to readily clear the upper end of the baseplate when in unlatchedposition, and said key being of a size to freely pivot within theaperture but preventing pivoting of the hasp when registering with theslot to hold the key against pivoting when the hasp drops by gravityinto a latched or unlatched position.

2. The pivotal locking clasp of claim I, in which the slot extends inthe baseplate in a gradual curvature away from the edge of the baseplatearound which the hasp is pivoted to thereby firmly hold the key in theslot as the key moves further into the slot.

3. The pivotal locking clasp of claim 1, in which the loop of the haspis of such length so as to be adapted to extend beyond a member to whichit is to be latched when the key is lodged in the slot and so that it isreadily accessible to be unlatched.

1. A pivotal gravity-tyPe locking clasp, comprising a baseplate havingan aperture extending through the body of the plate, a slot extendingdownwardly from the aperture in the base plate, a hasp formed of legsdisposed in a looped shape providing an uninterrupted opening throughthe hasp with the legs of the hasp extending generally parallel to eachother and disposed on opposite sides of the body of the baseplate, and arectangular shaped key disposed in said aperture and securing the legsof the hasp together, the loop formed of the legs of the hasp being of asize to readily clear the upper end of the baseplate when in unlatchedposition, and said key being of a size to freely pivot within theaperture but preventing pivoting of the hasp when registering with theslot to hold the key against pivoting when the hasp drops by gravityinto a latched or unlatched position.
 2. The pivotal locking clasp ofclaim 1, in which the slot extends in the baseplate in a gradualcurvature away from the edge of the baseplate around which the hasp ispivoted to thereby firmly hold the key in the slot as the key movesfurther into the slot.
 3. The pivotal locking clasp of claim 1, in whichthe loop of the hasp is of such length so as to be adapted to extendbeyond a member to which it is to be latched when the key is lodged inthe slot and so that it is readily accessible to be unlatched.